WI School Board Appreciation Week – Oct. 6-12

Posted on: October 6, 2019

School Board Appreciation Week set for Oct. 6-12 The Wisconsin Association of School Boards has set Oct. 6-12 as Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week as a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our communities. The Superintendents from Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, and Whitewater are joining together to celebrate Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week to honor local board members for their commitment to our area school districts and the children and families they serve. The six area superintendents share the sentiment that it takes strong schools to build strong communities, and the men and women of our school boards devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level. Our school boards make tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our communities expect.

The key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by: ● Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority; ● Establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do; ● Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels; ● Being accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results; ● Creating a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach; ● Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and ● Focusing attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement. All six superintendents further state, “School board members give the Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, and Whitewater community members a voice in education decision making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in October, their contribution is a year-round commitment.” The members serving the Whitewater Unified School District and their years of service are as follows: Casey Judd, President (10 years); Kelly Davis, Vice President (5 years); Steve Ryan, Clerk (9 years); Jim Stewart, Treasurer (25 years); Tom Ganser (3 years); Jennifer Kienbaum (1 year); Miguel Aranda (1 year)